The Promise
by Mysterie1985
Summary: [ONE SHOT]As Jamie grows older, he begins understanding more of what Jack told him before the youngest Guardian left with the other Guardians...


"_We'll always be there Jamie. And now, we'll always be here..." He pressed one finger into the boy's chest, gently, motioning to his heart._

Those words had always stuck with Jamie, the eight year old had hoped that it meant he would see the youngest Guardian again.

Jack wasn't around when he first kissed a girl by accident.

Wasn't there when he lost his last Tooth, happy to find an encouraging note from Tooth when he'd left it for her under his pillow; a note that he would always keep.

When Jamie learned to ice skate, Jack wasn't there.

Nor when Jamie realized that while he was attracted to girls, he also had a this similar thing with guys...

Jack wasn't there when Jamie whispered to the moon about his crush on the winter Guardian, not that the moon had anything to say. It hadn't spoken to Jack in 300 years why would it bother with a mortal boy of 16?

The winter spirit hadn't been there when Jamie had gone into art in high school.

Hadn't been there to share the awards that Jamie got.

He hadn't been there when Jamie went off to college for the first time.

Jamie was finishing a painting of the scene from his childhood, the last time he had seen the young Guardian and the other Guardians... He closed his eyes as he thought back to that day. He had doubted, he had been scared that he would forget Jack and the others. That in forgetting Jack would be all alone again. Jamie had made sure that Jack would have believers by writing a story on a forum about what had happened that night when he'd been a boy. Believers had appeared all over the world then, many had asked all sorts of questions and even now he still visited the forum daily to speak to new believers and answer questions if he could. Many of them were about Jack and... sadly, he didn't have the answers. It surprised him how many of the believers who appeared seemed angry that Jack had stayed away, that he had seemed to abandon Jamie, but Jamie had defended Jack every time.

Tonight, though, he was feeling nostalgic and saddened. He missed Jack, very much. Even after all this time, he still believed in the Guardians with all his heart and despite the fact that everyone he knew, including his own sister, had stopped believing at some point. He had often wondered why Jack wasn't around, he'd had spurts of anger and sadness throughout his life, but he couldn't hate Jack. Even if the winter spirit had forgotten all about him, even if he was just "another kid" to him, to Jamie... there would only be Jack. So despite all the temptations to party and drink and hook up, he never did. He would only sulk when anyone mentioned it, after all, how could he explain that his true love was the one and only Jack Frost?

Years went by, there wasn't anyone who didn't want a painting done of the Guardians by Jamie Bennett. The media, shocked by how life-like his depictions were, hounded him about his love life but he'd only insisted that his one true love was his art and that he needed nothing else. That was a lie, of course, he wanted and needed Jack... but despite all the winter snow he saw come every year, never once did he catch a glimpse of the young Guardian. A few times he'd wondered, only to break down into tears, if he'd lost the ability to see Jack because of his age.

It was as Jamie was settling into a comfy chair, it was green and he needed the warmth of the fire to keep him moving. He loved the cold, because it reminded him of Jack. At his advanced age, however, he knew that he would not be long for this world. It was only a matter of time. Jamie closed his eyes as a cold breeze seemed to slip through an open window and swirl around him. Jack. When he opened his eyes the winter spirit he'd so longed to see stood before him. The white haired teen hadn't changed a single bit.

"Jamie."

"Jack." The winter spirit smiled a little at him.

"You've been so brave... I wish I could have been here for you... I wanted so badly to... but..."

Jack seemed so sad.

"Jack... it's enough that you're here now." He murmured, his voice creaking with his age, but he found he meant it. Jack was silent a long time, there were tears of joy shining in the winter spirit's eyes. Tears that threatened to fall. He didn't deserve such a believer.

"You remember the promise you made Jack? That you would always be there?" Jack nodded mutely.

"You always have been... You've always been in my heart. Always been with me, even when I couldn't see you... because I knew some day I would again." Jack let the tears fall unabashed. Jamie's faith in him was so absolute... so strong.. more than he knew he deserved; especially when he'd been forced away from his first believer by orders from MiM and the other Guardians dogging his heels just to make sure he obeyed.

"I've missed you... so much..." Jack managed to say. He held out one hand towards his first believer, the boy who had once been the Last Light.

"Man in the Moon says its time. We can be together now... forever." Jamie smiled and took the hand that was offered to him without hesitation. As soon as he touched the hand, the old man that was Jamie Bennett slipped from this life, but standing tall was the teenager he'd been. A soft glow around him; neither one noticing the body Jamie had left behind as the two spirits flew out of the mansion home, hand-in-hand; Jamie whooping the whole time along with Jack. His best friend, the secret love of his life.


End file.
